HR in Practice: : A Guide to Interviewing Candidates

The Fresher's Guide to Interviewing Candidates: How to Find the Best Candidate

In our last guide we built our Selection Funnel. We took a giant pile of 200 resumes and filtered it down to our final 4 or 5 promising candidates. We've screened them we've tested their skills and now we're at the final boss battle: The Interview. (See : A Fresher's Guide to Selection Process )

This is the part everyone thinks they know how to do. After all it's just a conversation, right?

Wrong.

A casual "chat" is the worst way to hire. It's where all our human biases (our "gut feelings") creep in and we end up hiring the person we liked the most not the person who's actually best for the job.

An interview is not a chat. It is a structured business process designed to gather evidence. Your job as an HR professional isn't just to participate in this process. Your job is to design and manage it.

This guide will show you how to do just that.

Part 1: Before the Interview (The 90% of the Work)

A great interview is won long before the candidate walks into the room. Your preparation as an HR fresher is what separates a professional process from a chaotic one.

1.1. How to Form the Interview Panel

You cannot hire by yourself. You need a team. But who? A bad panel is just a crowd. A good panel is a scalpel.

• The Hiring Manager: This is the most important member. This is the candidate's future boss. They know the day-to-day job better than anyone and they have the most at stake.
• The HR Representative (You!): You are the guardian of the process. You are there to check for culture fit communication skills motivation and potential. You also keep the interview on track and ensure it remains fair and legal.
• A Technical Expert or Peer: This is often a senior team member who already does a similar job. They speak the same language as the candidate and can spot a "bluffer" a mile away. They can ask the real technical questions.

A 3-person panel is ideal. It's big enough to get different perspectives but small enough to make a decision.

1.2. Training the Interview Panel

This is the step most companies skip and it's a huge mistake. You must train your panel. Just because someone is a senior manager does not mean they are a good interviewer.

Before your first interview get the panel together (even for 30 minutes) and agree on:

• What to Avoid (The Legal Stuff): Remind everyone what they cannot ask. This includes questions about age marital status family plans religion or health. This is your job as HR to enforce.
• What to Avoid (The Bias Stuff): Talk about common interview biases.
• The "Halo Effect": When a candidate has one great quality (e.g. they went to a great college) and you let it color everything else they say.
• The "Like Me" Bias: When you give higher scores to a candidate just because they share your hobbies or background.
• What to Look For (The Scorecard): The most important part. You must all agree on the 3-5 key things you are hiring for. For example:

1. Technical Skill
2. Problem-Solving
3. Communication
4. Teamwork This becomes your Interview Scorecard.

1.3. What You Have to Manage (The Logistics)

This is the invisible work of HR that makes everything run smoothly.

• Scheduling: This is the real "Tetris" of HR. You have to coordinate the schedules of 3 busy panel members and 5 different candidates. Be patient be professional and be persistent.
• The Candidate Experience: Send a clear email invite. Include the date time location and the names of the panelists. When the candidate arrives greet them with a smile. Offer them a glass of water. A positive experience matters even if they don't get the job.
• The Room: Book a quiet private room. Make sure there are enough chairs and any tech (like a projector or teleconference) is working.

Part 2: During the Interview (The Main Event)

The panel is trained the room is booked and the candidate is here. It's time to find out what they can do.

2.1. What to Concentrate On

You are looking for evidence not just answers. You need to focus on three key areas:

• Can they DO the job? (Skills & Experience): This is where Behavioral Questions are your best tool. They are based on the idea that past behavior predicts future performance.

• Don't ask: "Are you a good problem solver?" (Everyone says yes).
• Do ask: "Tell me about a time you faced a difficult problem at work. What was the situation what did you do and what was the result?"
• This is the STAR Method (Situation Task Action Result). It forces them to give you a real-life example not a textbook answer.

• Will they LOVE the job? (Attitude & Motivation):

• Ask "Why do you want this job?" and "Why do you want to work at our company?"
• Look for specific answers. "I'm passionate about your work in X" is good. "I just need a job" is bad.
• Are they curious? Are they asking you smart questions about the team and the challenges? This is a great sign.

• Will they fit the TEAM? (Culture & Teamwork):

• This is not "Are they just like us?". This is "Will they make our team better?".
• Ask: "Tell me about a time you had a conflict with a coworker. How did you handle it?"
• You're looking for maturity and a problem-solving approach not someone who blames others.

It's easy to think that if the manager is there and the technical expert is there, HR is just a "chaperone". That's a common mistake.

The panel as a whole concentrates and evaluates but HR's contribution is unique and critical. While they are also looking for skills HR has three specific jobs that no one else on the panel is trained to do.

HR's Role in "What to Concentrate On" (The Questioning)

While the other panelists focus on "Can they do the job today?" HR is focused on "Will they be successful long-term?".

Your contribution is to be the expert on people culture and potential.

• You are the Guardian of Culture and Values: The Hiring Manager checks for team fit but you check for company fit. Does this person share the company's core values? If your company values collaboration but the candidate only talks about "I" and "me" that's a red flag for you. You ask questions about teamwork and how they handle success as a group.
• You are the Motivation and "Why" Expert: This is HR's specialty. The technical expert doesn't care why the candidate wants the job. You do. You dig deeper.
• "Why are you looking to leave your current role?"
• "What specifically about our company made you apply?"
• "Where do you see your career in five years?" You're listening for ambition learnability and whether this role is a logical next step for them. This helps you predict retention.
• You are the "Soft Skills" Specialist: The Hiring Manager is focused on their specific problem. The Technical Expert is focused on hard skills. You are the expert on the transferable skills that work in any job. You will be the one leading the behavioral questions on:
• Conflict Resolution: "Tell me about a time you had a disagreement with a coworker."
• Adaptability: "Describe a time when a project's priorities suddenly changed."
• Communication: "How would you explain a complex technical problem to me someone in HR?"
• You are the Process Keeper: You are also concentrating on the other panelists. You are there to ensure they don't ask illegal questions. If a manager starts asking about family plans your job is to gently but firmly steer the conversation back on track.

2.2. How to Evaluate (The Scorecard)

This is the most important part of "how to evaluate". You cannot wait until the end of the day to "chat about the candidates". Our memory is terrible.

• Use the Scorecard: Remember that list of 3-5 competencies? It's now your scorecard.
• Score Immediately: As soon as the candidate leaves the room everyone on the panel takes 5 minutes in silence to fill out their scorecard.
• Keep it Simple: A simple 1-5 scale for each competency is perfect.
• 1 = Major Red Flag
• 3 = Meets Expectations
• 5 = Exceptional
• Write Notes: You must write down why you gave that score. "Gave 4 on Problem-Solving because of a great STAR answer about the server crash". This is your evidence.

HR's Role in "How to Evaluate" (The Scorecard & Debrief)

This is where HR's contribution is most critical. While everyone evaluates your job is to facilitate the evaluation and protect it from bias.

• You are the "Bias Watchdog": This is your most important role. You are trained to spot cognitive biases that others are not.
• When the panel "debriefs" and a manager says "I just got a great feeling about her" your job is to say "That's great. What evidence from the scorecard led you to that feeling?".
• When a panelist says "He wasn't very confident" your job is to ask "Is that a 'gut feeling' or did he fail to provide a specific answer to a question? Let's look at the data."
• You force the panel to base their evaluation on the evidence from the scorecard not on "gut feel" "like me" bias or the halo effect.
• You are the Facilitator of the Process: You own the scorecard process. You are the one who ensures every panelist actually fills out their scorecard independently before they talk to each other. You then schedule the debrief meeting and lead the discussion. You compare the scores and highlight the areas where the panel agrees or disagrees.
• You Provide the "Big Picture" Perspective: The technical expert might fail a candidate because they missed one technical question. You are the one who can step back and say "I agree. He scored a 2 on that technical question. But he scored a 5 on learnability and a 5 on problem-solving. Is this a skill we can easily teach?". You balance the immediate technical need with the candidate's long-term potential.
• You are the Keeper of the Data: You are the one who collects and keeps the scorecards. These are your notes. They are the objective evidence (and legal documentation) of why you hired one person and rejected another.

In short the panel provides the input but HR owns the process. Your job is to make sure that process is fair structured data-driven and focused on the long-term success of the company.

Part 3: After the Interview (The Decision)

You've interviewed all 5 candidates. You have 5 completed scorecards from each panelist. Now what?

3.1. The Debrief Meeting

Get the panel in a room for 30 minutes. This is the "Debrief".

• No "What did you think?": Do not start with a vague question. Start with the data.
• Go Candidate by Candidate: Pull up Candidate A's scores. "Okay team. We all have our scores. Let's compare".
• Discuss the Gaps: "I gave a 4 on Communication but I see our technical expert gave a 2. Let's talk about that. What evidence did you see?".
• This is how you remove bias. You force everyone to defend their score with the evidence they wrote down. You are no longer arguing about "gut feelings". You are comparing data.

3.2. The Committee Proposal for the Best Candidate

You've discussed all the candidates and you have a clear winner. Your final step is to formally recommend them. This is your Committee Proposal.

This is not just an email saying "Hire Amit". It's a short business case to management.

It should include:

• The Recommendation: "The interview panel unanimously recommends offering the position of 'X' to Candidate A (Amit)."
• The Strengths (The 'Why'): "Amit demonstrated exceptional technical skills during the test. He also provided two excellent STAR examples of his teamwork and problem-solving abilities. His salary expectations are within our budget".
• The Risks (The 'Why Not'): "The panel noted that Amit has less experience in 'Software Y' than we originally wanted. However he showed high learnability and we believe he can be trained".
• The Comparison: "He is the preferred candidate over Candidate B who had strong technical skills but struggled to communicate her ideas".

This document is your final deliverable. It shows you ran a professional structured process and you made a data-driven decision.

It's easy to think that if the manager is there and the technical expert is there HR is just a "chaperone". That's a common mistake.

Most Important : The panel as a whole concentrates and evaluates but HR's contribution is unique and critical. While they are also looking for skills HR has three specific jobs that no one else on the panel is trained to do.

That's it. You've designed the panel you've run the interviews and you've made a final recommendation based on evidence.

Did you find this guide to the interview process helpful? For our experienced managers and HR leaders what's the one piece of advice you'd give a fresher running their first interview panel?

Let us know your thoughts in the comment box!

 

By Mit I HR Professional

Related post: A Fresher's Guide to Selection Process, A Fresher's Guide to Sourcing in HR, A Fresher's Guide to HR Planning